Charles Smith K Vintners Royal City Syrah 2021

Drink now or cellar for another 15 years. Decant 1 hour before serving. Syrah has been winemaker Charles Smith’s signature grape since his very first vintage in 1999. The self-taught winemaker fell in love with wine while touring Europe as a tour band manager and later returned home to Washington State to start making his own. In recent years he’s been named Winemaker of the Year by both Food & Wine and by Wine Enthusiast magazines, and is widely recognised as one of the state’s finest Syrah producers. This exceptional cuvee was first released in 2006 and takes its name from the nearby town of Royal City. Remarkably the very first vintage was awarded 100 points by Wine Enthusiast magazine, the first perfect score ever to be awarded to a Washington State wine. Ever since then it has been a cult favourite for Syrah lovers all over the world. Fruit is sourced from the isolated Stoneridge Vineyard where the high elevation and sunny growing season helps create tough conditions for the vines. This results in richly concentrated fruit which is fermented with wild yeasts and then aged in 60% new French oak barriques for 28 months before bottling. A magnificent red to cellar for a few more years or to serve now alongside hearty red meat dishes.